Fair warning; there's nothing too "graphic" in here, but violence to a degree. I didn't go overboard with details because I didn't want to dwell on it.
Also wasn't planning on having a continuation of this specific theme/story/oneshot/whatever you wanna call it, but if people are interested, let me know and I will consider.
04: Painful
It was no secret they didn't get along. The hostility, especially from the lupine's side, carried a horrid stench and was unable to go unnoticed. She figured that they were merely rivals, given that they both did almost the same things, acting as mercenaries to some extent, but the first time she saw shots actually, literally, get fired because of one nasty comment from Fox's mouth- completely unlike him, might she add- made her realize that the bad blood ran deeper that she originally thought.
Pikachu sought out information from Falco, purely because she was curious and had become better friends with Fox, and that there was no way she was going to ask the StarFox leader herself for details on something that he really did not seem willing to open up about.
The most she got from the other member anyway was that it had been going on for a long time, and something else relating back to Fox's dad.
She chose to let the conversation die there.
But she did decide to improve her skills of observation by picking up on the cues that the two pilots in question tossed out into the air. And she was able to deduce, albeit she pretty much knew already, that they absolutely despised each other. Even to the point where she was convinced that Wolf would accept any and all opportunities to get at Fox.
And as she feared, seeing how the lineup for matches played out for the afternoon, today was the day.
Pikachu sat on the edge of the seat right from the start of the match, her leg bouncing with increasing velocity. Her foot tapped the ground obnoxiously, and as badly as she wanted to cease the behavior, her anxiety was amplifying so loud that it was deafening.
"Can you just relax?" Falco piped up, shooting her a glare, obviously bothered by the rapid movement coming from her side of the couch. She noted how she accidentally bumped him a few times with her leg, and promptly apologized for it, but she eventually gave up because it was happening too frequently and her focus went to the television broadcasting the match that was the source of her worries.
She ignored the question, and opted for firing back with one of her own. "How are you so calm?"
The avian shrugged. "Because it's Fox. The guy will be fine." He ended with a grumble and placed his chin in the palm of his hand, propped up by his elbow.
"Things have been getting worse. Pretty sure Wolf wants to eat him alive," Pikachu snapped back, narrowing her eyes at her companion.
Falco returned the look, still unamused, and she muttered another apology for snapping, her cheeks getting warm from embarrassment.
Pikachu was grateful that no one else in the room noticed her not-so-cool demeanor. She did note, however, the amount of people occupying the space was greater than usual, especially for a basic placement match. None of theses matches really mattered, so why were so many people so excited for this match in particular?
The girl assumed it was the fighters in question.
She returned her attention to the television, and breathed a sigh of relief, noticing the vulpine was holding his own relatively alright. The one thing Fox did hold over Wolf was speed, and used it to his advantage, sliding and flipping past Wolf skillfully to avoid any hits that could do significant damage.
Another thing was very apparent was the growing frustration on Wolf's part; his nostrils were flaring and his one visible eye was so narrowed that Pikachu wondered if he could actually see at all.
He's pissed, no doubt about that.
Fox ducked down, avoiding another punch, taking note of the brief glint of light bouncing off of Wolf's claws. His leg swept forward, catching his opponent and sending him to the ground with a large thud.
Preparing to leap back, Fox yelped in surprise as he too collapsed on the ground, cursing to himself for slowing down just enough for Wolf to swipe a leg of his own out.
Fox rolled away quickly, his head whipping upwards just in time to avoid the shot sent his way from Wolf's blaster.
Wolf snarled, baring his teeth.
"Play time's over Fox."
The phrase sent chills down Pikachu's spine, goose bumps making an unwelcome appearance on her arms. She peeked out of the corner of her eye to survey Falco's expression, the avian's eyes narrowed slightly and the edges of his mouth directed downwards, the sudden change in his expression not helping with how she was feeling.
A cry from a few of the other members of the audience resulted in her snapping her eyes back the television, and what she saw made her blood run cold.
Wolf had managed to get Fox pinned, his boot pressing down against the smaller of the two's back, clawed hands holding his arm in a death grip. Wolf continued his onslaught, pushing Fox's arm in the wrong direction.
Pikachu felt her stomach turn sour, unsure if it was due to the expectation of the worst to come or if the unnatural angle of the vulpine's arm was getting to her.
Wolf pushed again, more violently, and the strangled cry from Fox was enough for her.
"Stop it!" Pikachu cried, shooting up from her seat. She felt nauseated from the sudden movement, and the sweat trailing down her back made it more unbearable. "Somebody stop him! He's hurting him!"
The room was tense, half of the fighters directing their eyes away from the screen, unable to watch anymore, while the others were stuck, slack jawed and in a trance. Chatter went around the room in circles excitedly, but she found herself incapable of making any of it out into actual words.
The final push from Wolf reached the limit, and an unsettling snap came from the speakers, followed by the cry from Fox as he fell to the ground and the gasps from everyone watching.
The cold sweat coated Pikachu's body at this point, and she couldn't prevent the tears from overflowing the corners of her eyes.
"Why didn't anyone stop him?" She choked out, the words getting caught in her throat.
Falco cursed under his breath, rushing out of the room, likely heading towards the transporters to help retrieve his injured friend.
Pikachu tried to will her body to move, but found herself glued to the spot, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks, dampening the front of her shirt. Frustration bubbled in her chest painfully, and the thoughts running through her head at high speeds made her dizzy.
She didn't even notice the emptying room or the disconnected channel of the television, showing nothing but a black screen. All that could be focused on was the pain that blinded her senses, and all that could be heard was the last cry from Fox.
